One Year
by Mii-Chan 24
Summary: 365 Days. 365 opportunities for greatness... Maybe. 260 - Lexicon: As Reborn had so thoughtfully pointed out, he needed to learn Italian, or else he would get a grenade up his ass.
1. Chapter 1

22. Introduction

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><p>One year.<p>

Tsuna Sawada stared at his desktop calendar, rubbing the corner of the thin paper absently.

It had been exactly one year since his life took an unexpected turn at the hands of Reborn, professional hit man of the Vongola Famiglia.

He yawned faintly, stretching his arms over his head, and looked around. Said hit man was gone, apparently already down at the table for breakfast, and with a sigh, the boy shuffled downstairs.

It was a Saturday, thank goodness, so he had the luxury to come down a few hours later than normal. He had been working hard, both at school and at whatever crazy task Reborn threw out on a daily basis, and he felt he deserved a break.

Breakfast was already on the table, as were a few unexpected guests.

"Tenth!"

"Morning, Tsuna!" Two bright faces greeted him, and the poor boy felt a blush crawl up his cheeks as he realized he was still in his pajamas. Regardless, he rubbed his neck and shuffled to the table, hoping the others wouldn't mind.

"Good morning," he smiled faintly, taking a seat next to his self-proclaimed right-hand man.

Reborn, sipping at his coffee and reading a newspaper, ignored him completely, but Tsuna found that he didn't mind much. For some unexplainable reason, he felt today was going to be a good day, and nothing the hit man baby could do would stop it.

Bianchi peeked in from the kitchen to see what the commotion was, causing Gokudera to promptly keel over in agony.

Yamamoto laughed, easily amused as always, and quickly became distracted when a terrified Lambo scrambled past, dodging some bitter-smelling dumplings courtesy of I-Pin.

Tsuna sighed, dodging an errant dumpling with practiced ease, and helped himself to breakfast. It was a bit depressing that he was so used to these type of daily occurrences, but it wasn't like he really had a choice.

"So, Tenth! What are we doing today?" Gokudera asked, a bright look in his eyes. Yamamoto perked up as well, holding a struggling I-Pin as Lambo ran for the safety of Tsuna's room.

Tsuna mulled it over absently, glancing at Reborn to see if he had anything planned. The baby, however, was watching him as well. "Well, Tsuna? What are you going to do today?"

A bit flustered, he glanced out the window, watching as a suspiciously-familiar yellow bird perched on a branch. The day was nice out, to be honest, with a few fluffy clouds floating along peacefully. The sun was shining, and something about the scene made Tsuna smile.

"How about a picnic?" He suggested, nudging I-Pin towards her breakfast gently. "We could invite everyone…Haru and Kyoko too."

"Yeah!" Gokudera grinned, though Tsuna had the sneaking suspicion that it was because he suggested it, not because he liked the idea itself.

Yamamoto nodded eagerly, clearly thrilled by the idea. "We could play baseball!"

As much as he hated sports, and any physical exertion in general, Tsuna found himself nodding in consent. "Why not?"

"Lambo too?" The little cow boy questioned from the top of the stairs, squeaking as I-Pin turned to glare at him. Tsuna nodded, liking the idea more and more.

"Can we, Reborn? O-or…do you have something planned…?" He wilted at the thought, and his thoroughly scarred mind began spitting out possible scenarios. Reborn could have them run around the park while possibly shooting at them. He could have them battle until they could hardly stand. He could…

"It's your call." He blinked, stunned, and watched as the baby finished his coffee. "I have to take care of some things, so you're on your own today."

He hopped off his chair, and wandered toward the door. "Try not to get yourselves killed."

Yamamoto and Gokudera began planning over his head, but Tsuna felt his mood dip a bit. Not having Reborn around was like cutting off his lifeline.

He hadn't realized how dependant he'd become…No, how _attached_ he'd become of the baby until now. He couldn't quite recall how life had been before his arrival, but he knew he wouldn't be able to return to it if Reborn suddenly decided to leave.

With a sigh, he let the thought fade from his mind, hopping up to help with the day's preparations.

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><p>Much, much later, Tsuna found himself watching Yamamoto and Gokudera play catch: Yamamoto for the love of it, Gokudera because he couldn't stand seeing Yamamoto having fun without interfering in some way.<p>

"Tenth! Are you sure you don't want to play?" Gokudera shouted, grunting as a particularly vicious ball flew into his borrowed mitt. Yamamoto grinned, nodding in encouragement as the ball sailed back to him with less intensity.

"I'm sure," Tsuna chuckled, leaning back on one of the many blankets they had spread out in the grass.

Kyoko giggled, watching him, and held out a soda can with a smile. "You want to help us, then, Tsuna?"

"Help us!" Haru chirped as well, waving him over happily. He smiled and wandered over, rubbing his neck lazily.

Lambo looked up as he walked over, waving happily with his face covered in chocolate. I-Pin, who had apparently forgiven him, nibbled on a cookie beside him.

"Where's Ryohei?" Tsuna asked, looking around. The boxer had helped them carry everything to the park, but had run off for some reason Tsuna couldn't quite catch.

"He said he had to do something important," Haru said, holding out a pair of tongs. "Help us with the burgers?"

Wary of the hot grill, but unable to say no to the girls, Tsuna nodded. "I hope he gets here soon."

A chirp caught his attention, and the boy glanced up to see a yellow bird perched on the branch directly above his head. The bird glanced down at him, and fluttered its wings lightly before settling down.

Strange. He hadn't invited Hibari, on account that the prefect was deathly allergic to extended human interactions.

"_Kyoko!"_ Tsuna jumped, startled, and fumbled the tongs as he looked up at the loud shout. Kyoko groaned faintly, shaking her head as her brother jogged over.

"Sorry I'm late to the _extreme_!" He apologized, (quite loudly, thank you very much), smiling at Tsuna. "I just needed to pick someone up!"

"Huh? Who?" He glanced around curiously, but saw no one out of the ordinary. A few joggers down the path, maybe, but no one heading in their general direction.

"B-boss…?" Tsuna glanced up, surprised, and smiled as a thin girl stepped out from behind the tree.

Kyoko and Haru squealed in excitement, obviously surprising the girl, and moved in for a group hug.

Poor Chrome was ambushed, squished awkwardly between the two girls, but mustered a small smile for Tsuna. Ryohei grinned proudly. "She was a hard one to track down."

"Hmph." Tsuna didn't have to turn to see who that was. The yellow bird chirping the Namimori anthem was a dead giveaway, though.

"H-hello, Hibari…" The older boy grunted faintly, leaning against the tree. He looked uneasy, but kept quiet as the girls continued chattering next to him.

"Now everyone's here!" Haru cheered, smiling. Tsuna glanced around, nodding, smiling faintly.

_Not everyone…_

Mukuro was missing, but that wasn't what bothered him. He missed Reborn, too. Without him, their little family wouldn't be complete.

He plastered on a smile, though, and let himself enjoy the day.


	2. Chapter 2

342. Poison

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><p>"Do it again, Tsuna."<p>

Tsuna groaned, blinking blearily at the math worksheet before him. He'd been at it for hours, trying his best to get the problems right without any help, but he was failing miserably.

Not only that, but Reborn had enlisted Bianchi's help to 'motivate' his pupil: whenever he got a problem wrong, he'd have to eat some of Bianchi's poison cooking.

Needless to say, his stomach was slowly being eaten away by some shady-looking cupcakes, and was soon followed by a tall glass of goo that could surely be considered toxic waste.

Tsuna would have been glad to have company at his side to endure with him, but Gokudera had excused himself the minute Bianchi's name was brought up, and Yamamoto had baseball practice. Even I-Pin and Lambo would have been welcome company, but the five year olds were missing in action.

So he was alone, pushing an empty plate away wit his pencil while Bianchi hovered over him menacingly.

"I…can't…" Reborn frowned, watching as Tsuna groaned again, purple drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth.

Bianchi only seemed vaguely interested at the poor boy's reaction. "I think it's starting to come back up, Reborn…"

"It won't. Keep going, Tsuna, or the next thing you eat will be a dinner platter." The brown-haired boy coughed, wiping his face with his sleeve, and scrawled something that resembled a will on the edges of the paper.

Reborn sighed. _No-Good Tsuna…_

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><p><strong>Just wanted to thank the people that reviewed, and I know I should be doing this one-a-day, but I'm lazy. So I owe a billion posts. And also, I do believe I saw the Bianchi force feeding Tsuna thing on someone's fic, so, do not own. And as a blanket disclaimer, I don't own Reborn.<br>**


	3. Chapter 3

345. Technology

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><p>Tsuna had never been very tech-savvy, if he was to be completely honest.<p>

He found that he tended to have bad luck with appliances, as with most other things. He had owned a PC once, and the blasted thing had nearly electrocuted him to death on contact.

He had gone through more cell phones than he could count, losing them in a variety of ways: dropped in the toilet, smashed on floors, confiscated by Hibari, damaged by unexpected dips in pools, crushed by the force of varying falls, and so on.

And never mind music players - he would sooner bitch-slap Reborn than get one of those again. He liked music and all, but felt absolute terror around them after nearly being strangled with a headphone cord. Sometimes he swore he could still feel the ear buds smacking him in the face.

So he wasn't exactly spitting rainbows when Gokudera offered to help him get a new computer for his assignments. According to his reasoning, if he had the computer around, his grades could improve.

Yamamoto was also enlisted to come along on their little trip, but more as brute force than anything. Ryohei would have offered, but he had a boxing match that weekend, and had to decline.

"Who needs that stupid Lawn Head, anyways?" Gokudera grunted, hands behind his head as the trio walked down the street.

Yamamoto laughed, walking alongside Tsuna. "This is fun, though! Just the three of us again!"

Tsuna nodded, smiling despite himself. "It's been a while since we've gone anywhere that didn't have anything to do with Reborn…"

"So, Tenth, are you ready to get your computer?" His right-hand man grinned, looking excited at the prospect.

"I guess…It's not like I have much of a choice, right?" Yamamoto chuckled, glancing around.

"Can we get some food first?" He questioned, perking up at the sight of a sushi restaurant around the corner. Gokudera made a sour face.

"Stupid baseball freak…"

"Actually, that sounds kinda nice!" Tsuna smiled, glancing up at Gokudera. The silver-haired boy frowned, torn between insulting Yamamoto again and acquiescing to Tsuna's request. In the end, he merely huffed, looking around as they walked to the restaurant.

They ended up wasting an hour eating, which Gokudera didn't seem to appreciate much, and felt the need to hurry them out, drinks in hand, towards the electronics store.

"Alright~! We wasted some time-" here he glanced quite rudely at Yamamoto, "-but I think we can make it up if we hurry."

"Sure, Gokudera." Tsuna humored him easily, sipping his drink with a sigh. It was a hot day, and he was happy he had that, at least, to make it a little better.

Yamamoto grinned, looking around the store, and immediately hurried off to the video games. Gokudera huffed. "How immature…"

Tsuna smiled, looking around the air-conditioned store. Computers were humming down one wall, and everything seemed so technologically advanced….it made his head spin.

Gokudera pulled him down to the computers, nearly vibrating in excitement. "Okay! So, this one over here has a 15-inch screen, but this one over here has a faster processor!"

Everything he said went over Tsuna's head, but he smiled weakly and nodded, trailing after him as he ran from computer to computer like the Energizer bunny on steroids.

Yamamoto walked over eventually, worn out from playing some fighting games on the open consoles that the store provided. He grinned, watching Gokudera compare prices and advantages of different laptops, still slurping on his drink. "Any luck?"

"Not really…" Tsuna sighed, glancing at his watch. It was getting late, and he knew Reborn would get upset if they didn't get home soon…

"Gokudera? We should get going-" He stepped forward, trying to stop the silver-haired boy, but fate loved screwing with him. He stumbled on hair, the store's thick carpet tripping him over, and crashed spectacularly into Gokudera.

Yamamoto, surprised, tried to grab onto Tsuna's jacket, forgetting he was holding his drink. He miscalculated, and ended up tossing the drink up into the air, straight toward the computer banks.

Tsuna watched in horror as, almost in slow motion, the unidentifiable drink splashed across the computer banks. Those hit the hardest sparked, smoked, and went blank. The rest merely spurted for a few seconds before turning off.

"Oh no…"


	4. Chapter 4

42. Lazy

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><p>Gokudera was usually energetic. He was up for <em>anything<em>, especially if Tsuna was involved.

…In a non-homosexual way, of course.

But there were days when he felt like doing nothing except curl up in the sun with a good book. He could spend _hours _just lounging about, reading about everything from U.M.A.s to weapon guides.

A right hand man had to be well-versed, after all.

So, when Tsuna informed him that they wouldn't be able to hang out due to a doctor's appointment, Gokudera figured he'd use the time to catch up on his summer reading.

His little apartment wasn't much to behold, but on a day like this, it was his own little slice of heaven. His bookshelf was crammed full with unread books, wood sagging under the weight, so he hurried over to lighten the load.

Uri was perched on the highest shelf, tail swinging lazily as she watched the silver-haired boy dump a stack of books on the floor next to the couch. It was warm inside, and they had eaten not too long ago. The storm cat was tempted to crawl over to the boy and get a decent scratch out of him, but the distance didn't seem worth the effort.

Gokudera stretched out on his sofa, much like a cat, and fumbled for the first book on his stack. He loved spending time with Tsuna, and enjoyed the other guardians' company (occasionally), but sometimes he just needed a little peace and quiet.

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><p>Drabble. Because I'm too lazy to stretch it out more. orz<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

277. Molt

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><p>Hibari wasn't worried when Hibird didn't come home one night.<p>

He was a cloud, after all; he wandered off on his own all the time. It was only natural that the bird follow his example.

He was, however, a bit irritable the next day. He'd gotten quite used to his feathered companion, and grudgingly admitted that he missed the comforting weight on his shoulder.

As a precaution, he checked under his bed, and behind any other small crevice where Hibird might have wandered into. Nothing, expect a few dusty feathers left behind on past excursions.

Frustrating, and running late (on his schedule, of course), Hibari gathered his beloved tonfas and stomped out the door, slamming the door shut much harder than was necessary.

Outside, he paused for a second to take a calming breath. He couldn't let himself get annoyed _before_ encountering any herbivores.

It was then that he heard a pathetic little chirp. Very weak in nature, but familiar at the same time. He glanced around, confused, and waited for the chirp to come again

There was a hesitant shuffle, then another chirp, this time a little sharper. He glanced up, frowning as a deluge of yellow feathers clouded his vision.

He waved them away, frowning, and squinted up at a little bundle peering down at him, none too happy, if he was to be honest.

Hibird was shivering on the ledge next to his window, feathers floating away in the faint breeze. The bird had been caught unawares, apparently, and had begun molting overnight, leaving him stranded in the elements.

With a sigh, Hibari walked back inside, nearly falling out the window in an effort to rescue his feathered friend.

Hibird, once safe in his coat pocket, fluffed in annoyance, looking around from his new perch. He'd have to stay there for a few days, possibly, not that he minded too much.

That was the first time Hibari had ever been late to school. It would not happen again.


	6. Chapter 6

255. Vampire

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><p>"Tenth…?"<p>

Gokudera was not hesitant. It just did not work with who he _was_.

So when Tsuna heard the unbidden halt at the end of Gokudera's question, alarms went off in his head.

He glanced over, frowning. "Gokudera, what's wrong?"

"Listen, it's about Hibari…" Oh, boy. That could mean anything from broken windows to dead bodies piled in the center of the quad ready to be sacrificed to a pagan deity. You never knew with the Namimori prefect, after all.

"What's wrong?" _What did he do? Do we have to call an ambulance?_

Gokudera squirmed, looking around as if expecting the black-haired teen to come out and attack him. "I…I think…" He sucked in a deep breath, cheeks flushed. "_I think he's an U.M.A.!"_

…What?

"What?" Gokudera squirmed under Tsuna's incredulous look, flustered.

"I-I know it sounds weird, but hear me out! I think he may be an U.M.A!"

Tsuna nodded faintly, mulling it over as he looked around. He, Gokudera, and Lambo were sitting on his stoop, waiting for Yamamoto to come back from baseball practice. Lambo was asleep on his lap, worn out from running around like an idiot.

"I…don't think he's anything like that, Gokudera," he admitted, petting Lambo's head absently. "He's a bit…strange, maybe, but not an alien or whatever."

He'd be a bit worried if Hibari started probing people. Though…it would certainly explain those tonfas of his…

"I'm serious, Tenth! There's something unnatural about him!"

Lambo stirred, but didn't wake up, thankfully. With a sigh, Tsuna stood, picking up the younger boy. "Hold on, Gokudera. I'll be right out."

He wiggled the door open, and shuffled inside, trying hard not to trip. His mother was in the kitchen making dinner, and I-Pin was spending the night with Kyoko and Haru.

Tsuna wandered up the stairs slowly, setting Lambo down in his bed, and stumbled back down, stabbing himself on the banister. Rubbing his sore ribs, he opened the door back to the stoop. "I'm back…"

"Hey, Tsuna!" In the short time he was gone, Yamamoto had arrived and made himself quite comfortable on the lawn, leaning against his bat.

"Hi, Yamamoto," he smiled, sitting next to Gokudera again. "How was practice?"

"It was great! But Hibari was watching, and a few guys got kinda nervous, so we had to stop." Gokudera looked up, a smug smirk on his face.

"U.M.A." Yamamoto glanced at him curiously, making Tsuna sigh.

"Gokudera thinks that Hibari isn't human," he explained, stretching. "Should we get going? Dinner's almost ready, but I'm sure we have time to go around the block…"

The baseball nut laughed, hopping up. "Yeah!"

"Tenth, I have a _reason_!" Gokudera whined, following Tsuna out of the gate. Yamamoto chuckled, watching curiously.

"What's that?" Tsuna shook his head, smiling as Yamamoto goaded Gokudera on. He loved the two like brothers - they _were_ family, after all - but sometimes he didn't understand them.

Gokudera perked up at the invitation, and hurried ahead of the group to face Tsuna and Yamamoto. "Well, for starters, that _look_ he gives everyone is enough to scare you to death! Literally!"

"I don't think that counts…" Gokudera pouted, but kept talking.

"A-and he's too blood-thirsty! It's not natural!" Yamamoto laughed this time, ruffling his hair.

"I think that doesn't make him an uma or whatever, Gokudera," he grinned, stretching. "A vampire, maybe, but not an uma." The silver-haired boy growled.

"It's You. Em. Ey. U.M.A! Not 'oomah'!" He spat out, twitching. Yamamoto just shrugged. "And vampires _are_ U.M.A, you idiot!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Tsuna sighed wearily, feeling his stomach rumble as the two continued to bicker over his head.

They rounded the corner, and wandered back to Tsuna's house, shadows stretching before them. It was creepy, in a way, and all the talk of vampires and monsters echoing down the street made him uneasy.

He glanced up to tell the taller boys to keep it down, and froze.

Hibari was watching them from the shadows, a blank look on his face. When he caught Tsuna's eye, he smirked. Not his usual smirk, but a secret kind of smirk, like he knew what they were talking about.

He waved absently, mocking almost, and wandered off.

"Tenth?"

"Tsuna, you okay?"

The brown-haired boy glanced up, shaking his head to clear it. "U-uh…yeah…Yeah, I'm okay…."

"Are you sure? You look like you've seen a ghost," Yamamoto frowned, ignoring Gokudera's spluttering. So they hadn't seen him.

"I'm fine, really…" Maybe…it would be a good idea if he didn't say anything about Hibari. For now, at least.

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><p>Obvious end is obvious. shot

So, thanks to everyone who's been reading/reviewing. It's really the only encouragement I have to keep going for...300+ more chapters


	7. Chapter 7

324. Vulnerable

by Mii-Chan 24

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><p>Tsuna had never been to Italy. He knew he would have to, eventually, but hadn't realized the moment would come so soon in his young life.<p>

Gokudera stood next to him by the discreet back exit of the Italian airport, looking uncomfortable in his black suit. "I'm sorry about this, Tenth…Reborn thought it would be a good idea…"

"It's fine, Gokudera," the shorter boy assured, straightening his tie lightly. The others hadn't come along on the trip - it was just Reborn, Gokudera, and himself. "I know this trip is important for you."

The silver-haired bomber nodded, fiddling with an unlit cigarette. They were waiting for Reborn to show up with transportation, which the baby had promised he had arranged beforehand.

"Tsuna." The boys glanced up as Reborn wandered over, fedora tilted on his head. "Let's get going."

A few steps away, a black SUV awaited, a dangerous light glinting off the perfect paint job. Tsuna gulped as they slowly got inside. Two men - quite large, thank you very much - sat in the front, wearing dark suits and sunglasses.

"_Nono _thought it would be good for you to have some bodyguards with you while you're here," Reborn explained quietly as the car slowly moved towards a busy street. "Since you decided the other guardians shouldn't come along."

Tsuna heard the disapproving tone in the baby's voice, but he knew he had made the right decision. This wasn't a pleasure trip, and it wasn't business. The others had no need to be around for this.

Gokudera glanced out the window, a sickly pallor to his cheeks. He looked ready to jump out of the moving vehicle; his knuckles were white from gripping the door's handle tightly.

"Gokudera…?" The Italian boy looked up, a strained smile on his face.

"I'm fine, Tenth…" They rode in silence for the better part of an hour, and Tsuna slowly went over the past few days in his head.

He had noticed something was wrong with Gokudera quite easily, really. He'd gotten so used to his friend's mannerisms and actions that, when he began to be civil to Lambo, alarms had gone off in his head.

After a few days of worried pestering, Gokudera finally opened up; his father had called for him. So here they were, three days later, in a foreign city, on their way to Gokudera's home.

The closer they got to their destination, the more uptight Gokudera got. He was chewing on his fifth cigarette as they pulled up a gravel driveway, giving view to a beautiful, sprawling villa.

Gokudera growled, shaking faintly as the car rolled to a stop. Reborn hopped out first, looking around as the bodyguards kept watch.

Tsuna got out next, frowning as he waited for Gokudera. The bomber sat stock-still in his seat, fists clenched tight. "Gokudera…"

The teen sucked in a slow breath, getting out of the car stiffly. He glared at the ground, lighting his cigarette in an effort to calm down. Tsuna noted his hands shook as the lighter disappeared into his pocket.

"We could go home…" He suggested quietly, feeling awkward as the bodyguards came around to stand behind him.

Gokudera shook his head stubbornly, almost biting the filter off his cancer stick. "No," he ground out, looking up with a determined look in his eyes. "We'll get this over with as soon as we can, Tenth."

Reborn said nothing, watching the entrance of the villa as the door opened up.

Bianchi ran down the steps, goggles in place as she approached them. "Hayato! You made it…"

She scooped up Reborn for a kiss, which he vaguely acknowledged, and walked over to Gokudera. She was also dressed in black, and looked worried as she pulled her brother into a hug. "Are you sure about this?"

Gokudera nodded faintly, glancing at Tsuna. He, in Tsuna's opinion, was waiting for his blessing, or something along those lines. Something to say he understood his decision and was behind him one hundred percent.

Which, well, he was. After all, he wouldn't be there if he wasn't.

"It'll be okay, Gokudera," he smiled reassuringly, straightening his tie as Reborn lead the way inside.

"Remember, Tsuna," Reborn lectured, turning to stare at him with a sneaky look. "This is a test for you too. Diplomacy is key."

_Cryptic as always. Thank you, Reborn._

Bianchi picked the baby up, wandering into a wide hallway. The marble floors echoed faintly as the group made its way down the hall, and the many portraits lining the walls glared down at them in disdain. Vases dotted corners leading off to other areas, and the occasional column loomed high above them.

They turned into a smaller hall, and a red runner padded the sound of their shoes noticeably, leaving behind an awkward silence in its wake. Gokudera was visibly shaking now, struggling to keep his breathing in control.

Tsuna wanted to say something, anything that could possibly be a comfort to his friend, but before he could think of anything, Bianchi stopped, glancing back. "Hayato…?"

Gokudera closed his eyes, taking in a shaky breath. "Y-yeah…"

"It'll be okay, Gokudera," Tsuna whispered, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder lightly.

A faint smile flitted across his face, before steeling into a blank expression. "I'm ready."

Bianchi pushed the doors open slowly, and Tsuna shuddered at the ominous creak that ensued.

The inside of the room was tastefully furnished: dark wooden bookcases ran across two walls, and matching coffee tables flanked a large desk. A few chairs had been set out, dark brown with red cushions, and a faint trace of cigar smoke lingered in the air. A man was bent over some paperwork at the desk, oblivious to the visitors.

"Father…?" Bianchi questioned, setting Reborn down gently. The baby glanced up, hopping onto Tsuna's shoulder instead.

The man looked up, setting the papers aside, and walked over. He surprised Tsuna: he had expected an angry, vicious-looking don, ruthless as any Reborn had described in his lessons.

Instead, Tsuna was faced with a fairly round man with a large bushy mustache. He looked like a shopkeeper, not a mafia member, and certainly not a dangerous one. He held absolutely no resemblance to Bianchi or Gokudera, which made the poor boy wonder if maybe this wasn't some sort of trick.

He smiled warmly at Tsuna, extending his hand. "_Benvenuti, Decimo_," he greeted. "It is truly an honor to have you here."

Tsuna blushed, scrambling to think of the correct Italian words as he shook the man's hand. "_Grazie, signore…_"

He held his breath as the man embraced Bianchi lightly, chirping something in his own language that was too fast to catch. She nodded, and walked off.

Then he turned to his son, staring at him with a curious look on his face.

Gokudera squirmed, struggling to maintain eye contact. "_P-padre…Mi dispiace…_" He gulped, fists clenched. "_Non avrei dovuto sinistra-_"

He was cut off, muffled by the sudden hug. His father smiled softly, holding him close. "Hayato…"

Tsuna had never seen Gokudera look so stunned. He was pressed against his father's chest, face squished comically as the man hugged his son. Gokudera hesitantly moved his arms up, not quite returning the hug. "I-I'm sorry…."

The older man said something softly, too low for Tsuna to catch, but it must have been important, because it made his friend look up in surprise.

"R-really…?" He croaked, shaking faintly. It looked like he was ready to collapse, and the only thing holding him together was the kind-looking man he had refused to see in years.

His father nodded, smiling softly. "We've missed you here, Hayato…"

Tsuna felt a lump form in his throat, even as Gokudera sniffled into his father's expensive suit. He had never seen his friend go through so many emotions in such a short amount of time. He was glad, though.

He knew how it felt to live without a father. Sure, Gokudera had left by choice, but watching them now, he saw how hard it must have been for the silver-haired boy. Now, he had closure, or whatever he wished to call it once they got home.

"Sometimes you're forced to choose between your real family, and _the_ family," Reborn mused beside him, watching the exchange coolly. "When the time comes, what will you choose?"

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><p>This is a little long for the challenge, but I felt really, really good about writing it. So there you go.<p>

Padre, Mi dispiace - Father, I'm sorry

Non avrei dovuto sinistra - I shouldn't have left


	8. Chapter 8

358. Blank

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><p>"Tsuna, wake up."<p>

The young Vongola Tenth to be woke up wearily, fumbling around as a bright light was shoved into his face. "Ngh…Reborn…?"

A swift kick to the ribs made him jerk up, groaning. "Who were you expecting?"

Biting back a whimper, he rubbed his eyes, looking around. The lights were coming from Leon - Reborn had turned him into a flashlight. Other than that, the room was dark. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get up," the baby replied, setting Leon on his hat. "Get dressed and go outside. You have five minutes."

Reborn walked out, and Tsuna slowly rolled out of bed, pulling on a hoodie and a pair of cargos. He fumbled for his rings, still half asleep, and tottered downstairs, shivering at a sudden gust of air.

"Good morning, Tenth!"

"Morning, Tsuna!" The brown-haired boy glanced up, biting back a yawn. He wasn't particularly surprised that Gokudera and Yamamoto were waiting for him. Reborn's activities almost always involved the family, so he'd gotten used to seeing his friends at random hours of the day.

"Good morning," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. It was a bit chilly out, but it wasn't enough to thoroughly wake him up.

Reborn, perched on Haru's stone wall, looked down on them. "Come on. We don't have all day."

And he walked off, leaving the others to follow.

* * *

><p>The empty lot was nothing special - just dirt and a few weeds cropping up here and there. A blown tire had been tossed into a corner, and a thin wooden fence separated their lot from an abandoned building. There was litter all over, caught amongst the weeds and rocks.<p>

"Reborn, what are we doing here?" Tsuna yawned, nudging away a discarded plastic bottle. The baby ignored him, looking around. Instead, he collected some of the debris, walking to the wood fence.

Two plastic jugs, followed by five rusty beer cans and a water bottle were soon lined up in a row, balanced perfectly on the wooden fence.

Reborn wandered back, petting Leon lightly. "Alright. Listen up. We're going to start the lesson today."

"Lesson?" Yamamoto asked. He was sitting on the floor, drawing absently with a stick. "What lesson?"

Gokudera huffed, annoyed, and nudged his leg. "Shut up and let him talk!"

Tsuna sighed, and watched Reborn. The baby plucked Leon from the brim of his hat, petting the lizard gently.

"Every good member of the mafia knows how to use more than one weapon, even if it's something you'd rather not use," Reborn began, tossing Leon up in the air. Leon shimmered, glowing brightly before settling into a familiar green and black gun.

"For now, you'll just learn how to shoot a gun. Later we'll work on taking them apart and putting them back, and other types of weapons." He stared at Tsuna, and slowly tossed the gun at Yamamoto.

The baseball player jumped up, smiling, and gripped the gun by the barrel. "It's kinda heavy…"

"Yamamoto, your job is to shoot down at least one can from the fence." Tsuna frowned, staring at the targets. They were halfway down the lot, and looked ready to fall off on their own.

"Alright," he smiled, staring at the gun curiously. "I just dunno how to use a gun!"

Gokudera frowned, walking over to stand next to Tsuna. He was obviously not happy about Yamamoto going first, but kept quiet.

Reborn hopped onto his shoulder. "You need to pull the safety off first. Otherwise it won't shoot." He pointed to the little catch. "Though you should probably hold it correctly first."

Yamamoto laughed, flicking the safety off like Reborn told him to. "What now?"

"Brace your arm. The kickback takes some getting used to."

Tsuna watched, amazed, as Yamamoto grabbed hold of his forearm, closing one eye to focus better on his targets. Unconsciously, he raised his shoulder, frowning as Reborn hopped off. "Go on."

The sound is what startled Tsuna the most - a ridiculously loud crack that made him jump back with a squeak. The sound echoed in the early morning hours, and a frightened pigeon fluttered away.

Yamamoto's arm jerked back, and he rolled his shoulder with a wince as one of the cans tumbled off the fence. "Wow!"

Reborn walked to the targets, picking up the fallen can with a frown. "You need to improve your aim, Yamamoto. You didn't hit the can."

"Aw…" Still rubbing his shoulder, the taller boy wandered over to sit next to Tsuna. Gokudera scoffed.

"I'll go next and show you how it's _really_ done," he smirked, taking the gun from Yamamoto.

Tsuna watched as the silver-haired boy stood next to Reborn, spreading his legs slightly. He snapped the safety off with ease, raised his arm, and shot off three rounds neatly.

The water bottle, a can, and one of the jugs tumbled off the fence, and with a smug look, Gokudera turned back towards Tsuna.

Reborn collected the bottles, bringing them over slowly. "Not bad. Your training with Shamal has improved your aim."

"That was amazing, Gokudera!" Tsuna grinned, taking one of the cans slowly. The bullet had ripped straight through it, though it was at an angle. Gokudera blushed.

"It was nothing, Tenth…"

"There's still room for improvement," Reborn warned, tossing the gun at Tsuna.

He fumbled it awkwardly, staring as the gun blinked at him. "H-hello, Leon…"

"Hurry up, Tsuna. The others should be here soon." He sighed, raising the gun slowly like the other two had done before. The cans seemed like a football field away, and he wasn't sure how much hand-eye coordination he had.

He took in a deep breath, raising the gun slowly. It felt heavy, and awkward in his grip, like it didn't belong. He was used to his gloves, and didn't feel like the same. He was more secure with his gloves - more in control. If he messed up, just once, with a gun, it wouldn't mean a punch or two. It would mean death, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

"Tsuna." He took in another shaky breath, and squeezed the trigger.

The recoil from the shot pushed him down on his butt; his shoulder was on fire, and his ears were ringing from the sound.

"You missed." He sighed, standing slowly, dusting off his pants. Of course he did. It wasn't his fault it was the first time he had shot a gun.

"You did your best, though, Tenth!" Gokudera chirped, hurrying over to make sure he was okay. Yamamoto chuckled, smiling brightly.

"Yeah!"

He hummed faintly, mostly to please them. He missed by a mile, but that wasn't what bothered him the most.

He needed to improve. He needed to get better, to help his friends. _Protect_ them, even if it left a sour taste in his mouth.

* * *

><p>I should probably explain this one... I chose 'blank' because of the gun blanks, even though it doesn't specify.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

260. Lexicon

* * *

><p>Tsuna sighed, sitting on his bed as he glanced around his room. He had two markers balanced on his leg - blue and brown - and was in the process of gnawing the top off a yellow one.<p>

His hands were stained with ink, the result of over two hours of work. A stack of yellow sticky notes sat beside him, the third package he'd gone through today. A rainbow of blues and greens and pinks thoroughly covered every available surface, from his school books to piles of clothes and Lambo's toys.

Spitting out the yellow marker, he hopped up, being careful to not disturb the colored bits of paper, all riddled with bits of Italian.

As Reborn had so thoughtfully pointed out, he needed to learn, or else he would get a grenade up his ass. After all, he couldn't be a respectable mafia boss if he couldn't even speak the language.

He had tried to get lessons from Gokudera and Bianchi, but as it turned out, Gokudera would get too technical, going on about past participles and how to properly greet someone older than him and so on. After only twenty minutes with him, Tsuna was ready to stab forks into his ears.

Bianchi was a bit better, taking things at a slower pace, but she would get easily sidetracked, especially if Reborn was in the room. She would forget what she was doing, and chase after the little hitman, leaving him alone and quite annoyed.

So, in the end, he took matters into his own hands, arming himself with markers, sticky notes, and a few Italian books.

Excited to try his system out, he walked to his desk, squinting at some of his notes.

"_Carta,_" he muttered as he picked up a piece of notebook paper. "_Carta…Ca-rta."_

He was having trouble with the exact pronunciation, but with the help of an Italian dictionary, he could at least attempt to figure out what it was.

He moved on to other things around his desk: _libro_ meant book, pencil was _matita_, and so on and so forth.

His stomach growled, and he slowly made his way to the door, muttering whatever word caught his eye. _Maglione, amaca, porta._

Down the stairs, the colors weren't as obvious. His mother didn't mind his studying, but he found it hard to keep the papers up with Lambo and I-Pin running around the house.

"Come back!" Lambo shrilled, running past him, chasing after a giggling I-Pin. _Speak of the devil._

He easily sidestepped said children, plucking a pink - no, _rosa_ - colored grenade from the little cow guardian's grip. Lambo pouted, but continued to chase after I-Pin, who was chattering at him, egging him on.

A smile flitted across his face for a second, before walking into the kitchen.

"_Ciao, mamma,_" he called out to his mother's back. She was busy making lunch for the kids, but turned long enough to shoot her son a warm smile.

"Are you understanding it better now, Tsuna?" He nodded, digging through the refrigerator for a snack.

He could have a _pomo_, but they were the green sour ones, not the red ones he liked. So that was out.

They were out of _arance_, unfortunately. He finished the last one that morning, actually.

Lambo had called all of the _uva_ in the house, as was his custom, and couldn't be persuaded to share.

A little more hungry now, he pulled open a couple of containers. Bianchi had baked some _biscotti_ the night before, but no one had really wanted to eat them. Even now his eyes were watering from the purple cookies.

Another Tupperware container held some leftover rice and vegetables, so he hurried over to pop it in the microwave. He grabbed a _tazza_ from a cupboard, and filled it with tea, humming to himself.

So, maybe he wasn't amazing at remembering everything, like Gokudera. He wasn't as bright, or as fast as the others.

He was No-Good Tsuna, but even he wasn't hopeless.

And maybe, just maybe, he could live up to his expectations this time around.

* * *

><p>I would write all the translations, but I'm just too lazy at this point. :c<p> 


End file.
